


Socialising Is Actually Good?

by obsessivechild



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward, Band, Bands, Crush, M/M, club, clubs, gig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 07:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7609120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivechild/pseuds/obsessivechild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gerard is dragged to some club by Mikey to see his friend's band. And of course, Gerard is an awkward motherfucker when it comes to attractive musicians.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Socialising Is Actually Good?

Gerard was really into musicians. Like, _really_ into them.

He'd always had a thing for them, especially guitarists. It was just something about the way they played; throwing themselves into it, using tons of energy, and getting hot onstage. It got to Gerard.

He'd been out with a couple in the past but it had never worked out. It didn't stop him from wanting to go out with another musician though.

He had thought about maybe even wanting to settle down with a musician but that could be tricky. In his experience, musicians could be immature and always on the go. Either that or they were really laid back and didn't give a shit about anything. It was becoming less and less likely. Or maybe he just hadn't found _his_ musician yet.

There was still time. Gerard was still only in his twenties; twenty seven to be exact. It wasn't like his biological clock was ticking or anything.

He was fine with being on his own, _really_. Sure, he got lonely sometimes but he worked so much, he didn't really notice. He was _fine_.

Although, there _were_ times when he was sat on his own on a Saturday evening, watching some DC film, when the loneliness would creep up. It wasn't necessarily a _horrible_ thing; it was just majorly inconvenient.

He'd had relationships but none had ever stuck. None had ever lasted long enough. Maybe because he was still living in the fantasy that the one person who was meant for him would find him on their own. He wasn't that into looking anymore.

Mikey tried to help out by setting him up now and again but that never worked out either. Gerard was sure that Mikey worried about him being on his own most of the time.

The thing was though, Gerard didn't mind being on his own. It was only on the odd occasion when he would yearn for some company and someone to cuddle at night. Other than that, he was fine.

Although, that didn't stop him from lusting after musicians when he saw them playing onstage. A guy could dream right?

Other than the occasional concert, Gerard rarely went out for fun. He usually only stuck to going out if he _really_ had to. He knew he was a recluse but he didn't care. It was just the way he was. He couldn't help it.

This obviously left a bit of a dampener on his chances to find someone but it wasn't like he was really looking. He'd notice attractive guys but he'd never actually go up to them. You had to have a lot of guts to do that sort of thing and that was something Gerard didn't have.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why he was so set on going out with a musician; he admired their confidence. Perhaps he wanted that confidence to rub off on him. That made sense.

Mikey knew a lot of musicians. Like, a _lot_. The problem was, many of them were womanising assholes. You wouldn't think it but it was hard to find a nice, gay guy. Or even just gay. Gerard wasn't picky.

Although, he _had_ been out with a controlling motherfucker before and that hadn't been fun. He supposed that had knocked his confidence a bit. Especially as that guy used to be emotionally abusive.

That was all in the past now and Gerard was trying to forget about it. After all, there was no point in letting something shitty like that hang over you like a dead weight for years. Gerard saw it as a waste of potential. He'd let that memory fuck up one of his most recent relationships and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

His last relationship had lasted two months and had ended about five months ago. Gerard had gotten desperate and had regretfully taken part in a one night stand since then but he was trying to forget about that. It had made him feel dirty and sad. He already felt sad a lot of the time, he didn't need to feel dirty as well.

Since then, he had been avoiding looking for someone. What even was the point anymore?

"Gee? Hey, you okay?" Mikey's voice came clearly through the cellphone's receiver.

"Hey, Mikes." Gerard put the phone on loud speaker and chucked it onto his bed while he looked through his wardrobe, "I'm alright. How are you?"

"Cool. Yeah, I'm good. You looking forward to tonight?"

Gerard started leafing through his shirts. None seemed right. "Yeah, I guess. What time are you picking me up again?"

“Eight.” Mikey told him, "Show starts at half past. Thought it would be nice to have a couple beers first. Maybe meet the band."

"Yeah, okay." The thought of meeting new people was a little daunting. Gerard was an awkward motherfucker.

"I'll leave you to it then. See you in a couple hours."

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Mikes." Gerard heard the line go dead and continued to pull shirts out of his wardrobe and throw them onto the floor. It wasn't like he was going anywhere special so overthinking his clothing choice was unnecessary.

In the end, he decided to go with his black jeans and a plain black button up shirt. There was no use hiding the fact that he didn't really own any other colour. And of course, he was going to round the outfit off with his leather jacket which probably wasn't a good idea since the venue was a club but whatever. He could always carry it.

Mikey liked to drag Gerard out about once or maybe twice a month. To be fair, if Mikey didn't drag him out of his apartment, Gerard was sure his social skills would be lacking, even more than usual. That was a scary concept. He already didn't know how to introduce himself without biting his lip nervously.

A shower ( _Gerard_ _sometimes_ _liked_ _to_ _make_ _an_ _effort_ ) and a quick beer to help with anxiety later, Gerard was ready to go.

Mikey was early as usual, arriving at ten to. Gerard supposed he did that to try and catch him out or something. He wasn't sure why though. It wasn't like he lay on his sofa wallowing constantly. Maybe that was what Mikey thought he did in his spare time.

"Evening." Mikey smiled at his brother as Gerard climbed into his car and shut the door behind him.

"Hey." Was Gerard's reply and then they were off.

He was still kind of grumpy about going but he knew there was no point in pouting when it came to Mikey. He'd had to forget about getting his own way a long time ago.

Instead, he decided to inquire something he had been wondering, "How do you know this band then?"

There wasn't really any point in asking because one way or another, Mikey knew literally everyone. Still, it was one way to make conversation.

"One of my friends from high school is in it." Mikey said, his eyes on the road in front of him, "He's on lead guitar."

"Cool." Gerard looked out of the window. It was already getting dark since it was September but it wasn't too cold yet. Not enough to wear a coat yet anyway.

The club wasn't too far away and Gerard had a sudden moment of fright about how he was getting home. Mikey would probably drink so that meant a lift from him was out of the question. Gerard wished he could leave that worry for later but he physically couldn't.

"How do you plan on getting home?" He glanced at his brother.

Mikey turned onto a new street, "Cab."

That sounded about right. Maybe Gerard would get drunk. He hadn't been drunk for a while now. "I'll probably do the same."

Mikey parked across the street and they walked in silence. Mikey knew not to press Gerard for any recent facts about his life because there was literally nothing to tell. Gerard's life was boring in that respect.

The club was what you'd expect: dark, loud and full of sweaty strangers. _Lovely_.

Gerard was already feeling nervous. He had never been good with crowds, no matter how big they were. Luckily, there weren't too many people around yet. It was still pretty early. The music was bad but at least it wasn't blasting too much yet.

"Do you want a drink?" Mikey asked, already leading his brother over to the bar.

A drink, yes. That sounded like a good idea. "Yeah, thanks."

After they had both acquired a beer each, a guy tapped Mikey on the shoulder. Gerard had seen him coming towards them and instead of warning his brother, he had just stared at the guy instead. Damn his awkwardness.

Mikey frowned and then smiled when he recognised the guy. "Frank, hey."

The guy called Frank grinned at Mikey. "You made it. Awesome." He then proceeded to give Mikey a hug and Mikey actually returned it which was interesting since Mikey didn't really do hugs.

Gerard stood awkwardly, sipping on his beer and watching the encounter before him. There was no chance that he would go out of his way to introduce himself.

"Yeah." Mikey luckily stepped in for him, "Frank, this is my brother, Gerard."

Frank turned his attention to Mikey's counterpart and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Hi."

Gerard resisted the urge to chew on something like his lip or nails, "Hi."

There were a few moments of awkward silence where Gerard and Frank just continued to look at each other.

"Great conversation, Guys." Mikey rolled his eyes, "Where's the rest of the band?"

Frank seemed to wake up then and looked at Mikey. "We're all in this booth at the back." He started to lead the brothers in that direction.

Mikey and Frank started talking about the set and how long it would be and stuff like that while Gerard just followed them in silence. He was already wondering if he could get away with bailing early but he'd only just arrived. He couldn't exactly say hello and then goodbye two minutes later. Mikey would never let him do that.

The booth Frank took them to had four other guys in, all drinking beer because that was apparently what band dudes drank.

Mikey and Gerard were introduced to them all and after about three seconds, Gerard had already forgotten all of their names. He had been too busy focussing on standing still and not running into the toilets or something.

It was a bit crowded in the booth so Frank, Mikey and Gerard sat in the one next to it. Frank sat across them and immediately started tapping his fingers on the table in anticipation.

"I love shows. They get me so wired." He grinned at them, "And that's without any alcohol."

“I kind of want you to drink now to see what you’d be like on stage.” Mikey smirked at him.

Gerard just watched the socialisation in front of him. He wondered if he looked as awkward as he felt. Probably.

“I’ll definitely get drunk at some point. I always do after a show.” Frank replied to Mikey but glanced at Gerard for some reason and then looked away when he realised Gerard had noticed. “Yeah um…” His confident exterior crumbled a little, “We’re on from half eight until nine.”

Gerard decided being a hermit wasn’t as fun when there was an interesting guy to talk to. “Mikey told me you play guitar?” He had to praise himself really for actually attempting to make conversation.

Frank looked at him again and smiled, “I’d like to think so. I’ve been playing in different bands since I was like, eleven.”

“How old are you now?” Gerard knew it was blunt but after having two beers, he wasn’t caring as much. Ah, alcohol.

Frank didn’t seem to mind anyway. “I’ll be twenty-four in October.”

He was young but not _too_ young. Gerard tried to ignore the fact that he was younger than Mikey. Well, it was only a month; it wasn’t too bad.

“So you’ve been playing for most of your life.” Gerard stated, not really sure of what else to say.

“Yeah.” Frank nodded, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop playing.” He smiled after saying that and it made Gerard smile a little, too.

Okay, so Gerard was interested. Hell, he’d been interested since he had seen Frank walking towards them almost twenty minutes ago. It wasn’t _just_ that he played guitar, although that was a pretty big part of it. Frank was attractive and Gerard wasn’t stupid. He knew what he liked and that happened to be black-haired, pierced and tattooed musicians. Frank ticked all the boxes.

The problem was, Gerard knew he would never be able to ask Frank out himself and he wasn’t about to send his brother in with the whole _”my_ _friend_ _fancies_ _you”_ type deal. He was just going to be a pussy and wait to see if Frank returned his feelings of attraction. Although, Gerard was pretty sure it was unlikely and he was already drowning this revelation in another beer.

He wasn’t sure if he would last long watching Frank play and he was casually glancing around for the nearest exist when the band was setting up. Mikey had dragged him near to the front which hadn’t been hard because the rest of the people there didn’t seem that interested yet. That usually changed when the band started playing though.

The loud bass music died down and one of the band dudes, _Gerard_ _really_ _should_ _have_ _paid_ _more_ _attention_ _when_ _Frank_ _had_ _introduced_ _them_ , said the band’s name and the name of the first song and they started.

Gerard almost had to stop his mouth from watering as soon as Frank started playing. He hadn’t noticed Frank’s height difference earlier but on stage, it was pretty obvious. Frank seemed to be on the shorter side and next to the singer, who was probably about six foot something, Frank looked tiny. It was pretty endearing really.

Although, that didn’t stop Frank from looking hot as fuck as he played his electric. He seemed to use all of his energy to play even the simplest chords and that meant he got _sweaty_ and he kept _spitting_ and _oh_ , _fuck_ , Gerard was going to Hell.

What if Frank was like that in _bed_? Oh, shit, that was too much.

It didn't help matters that Frank had apparently been given a back-up mic because he kept fucking screaming and Gerard hadn't thought that he found screaming hot but _now_ he did. 

After fifteen minutes of the set, Gerard had to move to the bar in aid of an alcoholic crutch. If he had to stay and watch this act of literal sex on stage performed by Frank, he wasn't doing it sober. He bought three beers, downed one at the bar and took the other two back to Mikey and handed him one. Gerard could tell Mikey was enjoying the music because he was bobbing his head slightly to the beat. That was a _big_ deal coming from Mikey.

Aside from the distraction on lead guitar, Gerard was enjoying the music as well along with the crowd that had formed in front of the stage. He didn’t attempt to dance or move or anything really so he was just stood like an awkward pole with his beer near the front while people writhed around him. He obviously couldn’t avoid people bumping into him but he tried to ignore them.

The band finished probably sometime after nine; Gerard was just guessing because no way was he risking taking his phone out when there were people smacking into him as they thrashed about. He wasn’t an idiot.

When the tall singer had said goodnight, Mikey grabbed Gerard’s arm and pulled him out of the crowd. Gerard was more than thankful. It had been hot in there and that was _without_ looking at Frank.

They ended up at the same booth as before and Mikey sat down across from his brother. “We can wait for the band here. Frank said he wanted some feedback.”

Fear seemed to hit Gerard then. How the _hell_ was he supposed to talk to Frank after seeing him like _that_. He had only just managed to talk to him before. Looked like more alcohol was in order.

“I could do with another beer. Your round?” Gerard smiled nervously at his brother, hoping he would think nothing of it.

Luckily, Mikey just nodded, “Yeah, okay,” and got up to get some.

Gerard waited anxiously for his brother to return. Maybe he should have got the beer instead. What if Frank turned up while Mikey was still gone? Well, shit, Gerard hadn’t thought of that.

And of course, because Gerard’s _life_ seemed to be one giant ball of bad luck, Frank slid into the booth across from him with a massive grin on his face and his hair still wet with sweat. “What did you think then?” Was the first thing he asked and Gerard was too much of a gaping mess to reply.

Frank frowned at him. “The set.” He tried to clarify, “What did you think?”

“Oh um.” Gerard finally found his voice and tried to think of a way to say _”I’m_ _pretty_ _sure_ _you_ _gave_ _me_ _a_ _boner”_ without it sounding too impertinent. “You guys were really good.” He settled on.

Frank’s frown turned to a bright expression. “Thanks. This is our third gig. We’ve only been a band for about three months.”

“Really?” Gerard was slightly surprised by that, “It looked like you guys had been playing together for ages.”

“We gel well.” Frank agreed. He then bit his lip and a thoughtful look overtook his face. It was enough for Gerard to start feeling self-conscious again, even with the four beers in his system.

“You should come see us play more.” Frank finally said, the thoughtful look turning slightly inquisitive. He quickly added, “If you want, you know.”

Gerard wasn’t sure if this was a formal invitation for just him or if Frank suggested this to a lot of people. He assumed the latter because finding people to come see your band was no easy task when you’d already invited all of your existing friends. He was just executing some marketing strategies.

Mikey was back then with beer and Gerard had never been more grateful to see his brother in all of his life.

“Frank, I thought I saw you attempting to talk to my brother.” Mikey sat next to Gerard, “I got you a beer.”

“Nice, thanks.” Frank took one of the bottles and took a swig of it.

Gerard just about managed to stop himself staring at Frank’s bobbing Adam’s Apple as he drank, and took a beer himself. It was a good distraction and Gerard was tempted to down it all in one go again. Maybe not the wisest decision though; especially in front of Mikey.

“What did you think then?” Frank directed the same question as before at Mikey instead. Gerard was interested to see if Frank would ask Mikey to come see them play more but he pretended not to care about that.

“I should’ve come to see you guys sooner.” Mikey replied after drinking some of his own drink.

“This is only our third gig.” Frank smirked.

Mikey shrugged, “Still. You guys are a really good band.”

Frank was grinning and apparently buzzing slightly in his seat. “Thanks. I’d like to think that, too.”

Where was the invitation? Okay, so maybe that question had only been directed at Gerard then. Yeah, he was really overthinking this.

“Where are the other guys?” Mikey asked, reminding Gerard that he was in an actual public place and not his apartment where he could overthink things to his heart’s content. Now was not the time for staring off into space.

“Probably taking shots.” Frank shrugged, “They like to get shitfaced and then dance to the shitty music and try to get off with every girl in here.”

Gerard’s respect for the rest of Frank’s band suddenly dropped. They must all be around Frank’s age. Gerard had found that since he had started getting closer to thirty, guys his age were less rash and more relaxed in these kinds of environments. Gerard was obviously an exception but it wasn’t like he was running after girls. He wasn’t sure if his situation was better or worse. To be perfectly honest, he preferred to overanalyse and worry then be some man-whore.

“Aren’t you going to join them?” He found himself asking Frank. Although, he wasn’t sure if he had given his mouth permission to say that.

Frank made a face. “No way; I let them get on with it. I’m not really into taking shots. I’ve been put off them ever since I took too many when I was seventeen and threw up everywhere.” He smirked at the memory before continuing, “And anyway, I’m not into chasing girls.”

“Well, obviously.” Mikey rolled his eyes.

And Gerard was at a loss, trying to work out what that meant. Maybe it was just that Frank was a decent guy. That sounded about right. _Again_ , he tried not to overanalyse everything.

“That’s why I’m glad you guys came along. If you hadn’t, I probably would’ve left straight after the set and drank at home. I’m not a big clubs guy.” Frank drank some more of his beer.

“I go to some occasionally.” Mikey said and Gerard was about to call bullshit because Mikey was _always_ at places like this, almost every weekend. How come he was such a social butterfly whereas Gerard was a social recluse?

“I never go to them.” Gerard was disappointed to find out that he had finished his drink. He already wanted another one. This was his piss-up of the month, he wasn’t passing up on getting as much alcohol as he could.

“I only really go when we have a gig or it’s a friend’s birthday, ya know?” Frank seemed to be directing this mostly towards Gerard and all Gerard could do was nod and clench his empty bottle in his hand.

"Oh, you guys want another drink? I'm buying." Frank seemed to notice the lack of liquid in his own beer bottle.

"Thanks." Gerard nodded, almost a little too eagerly which caused Mikey to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, thanks, Frank." Mikey looked back over to Frank who was already standing up.

As soon as Frank had disappeared into the crowd, Mikey turned to his brother. "What's up with you?" He asked, "You seem more anxious than usual."

Gerard laughed but it sounded too forced. "I'm always like this."

"Sure." Mikey narrowed his eyes at him. "I've taken you to a couple of places like this in the past and you've never acted like someone's gonna jump scare you before."

"What do you mean?" Gerard frowned, beginning to tear off the label from his empty beer bottle.

"I mean, you seem more on edge than usual. What's up?"

Gerard thought about telling Mikey that taking him to a loud, crowded place was hard enough to deal with on its own without the added fact that there was an extremely attractive guy who could play guitar sharing the same booth as them. He _thought_ about saying that but decided against it.

"I'm just a little all over the place. I haven't been out like this for a couple months now."

Mikey apparently decided to blame Gerard for that. Well, it was _technically_ Gerard's fault after all. "And who's fault was that? I asked you to come out with me last month and you kept turning me down. Why do you think I _made_ you come tonight? You wouldn't have agreed otherwise."

That was probably true but Gerard was trying to ignore that fact. He was too busy focussing all of his effort on not cutting his lip open with his teeth.

Mikey had changed the subject anyway. "So, what do you think of Frank?"

So much for going onto a safer topic. Thanks, Mikey.

Gerard kept his gaze on the table as he muttered, "Yeah, he's a nice guy."

"I'm surprised you don't remember him." Mikey's words made Gerard look up again. "Although, I guess you never really paid attention to my friends in high school."

Gerard grew cautious. "What do you mean?"

Mikey knew what he was doing. He pretended not to be that interested in what he was saying, taking his phone out. "Oh just that Frank came over to our house a couple of times and even did your homework for you once."

The fuck. Gerard frowned harshly as he tried to remember what on earth Mikey was going on about. This had to be bullshit. "What are you talking about?"

Mikey finally looked up from his phone. There was a hint of a smile on his lips as he said, "Frank had a crush on you in high school and asked to come over a few times just so he could see you."

Okay, that was _definitely_ bullshit.

Gerard stared at his brother for a moment before saying, "Well, that's a lie."

"It isn't." Mikey shook his head, "He once even said he'd do your Math homework for you if you stayed in the Living Room to watch a movie with us. To be fair, he must have really liked you because he actually did it."

The memory suddenly dawned on Gerard. No _way_. No way was the guy they had just been talking to and one of Mikey's annoying friends from about tenth grade the same person. That couldn't be right.

" _No_." Gerard had no idea what to say, "I just... What the fuck?" 

Mikey sniggered at him and put his phone away altogether. "He had a massive crush on you. No idea why really. I'm kinda surprised you didn't realise."

Gerard narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Yeah, thanks."

Mikey laughed a little more. "I'm joking. I wan't actually going to say anything but I felt like you needed a pick-me-up. You know, other than booze."

Just when you thought you'd heard everything, your little brother throws something like that at you. Gerard hadn't been prepared in the slightest. Surely Mikey could have warned him first.

"What do you mean by that?" Gerard asked, still shocked by this revelation.

Mikey rolled his eyes, "Come on, Gee. You've been checking Frank out since he got here."

Well, damn. Looked like his secret was out. Gerard felt himself tense up and his cheeks burn red. Damn Mikey and his eagle eyes.

"Am I wrong?" You could almost _hear_ the smug smile in his voice.

"Fuck you." Gerard mumbled, fiddling with the beer bottle label again. Now, he was going to be even _more_ awkward in front of Frank. This should be interesting.

Before Mikey could throw any more bombshells at his brother, Frank appeared next to the booth with three beers. "The bar's getting pretty busy now." He said as he slid back into his seat.

Gerard kept his gaze on his empty bottle and Mikey apparently wasn't going to say anything so that meant Frank spoke again, "What have I missed?"

"Not much." Mikey finally said.

Not _much_. That sounded fake but okay.

“Well, okay then.” Frank didn’t seem to buy it either.

Gerard knew his _try_ _not_ _to_ _look_ _at_ _Frank_ plan wouldn’t last very long and gave up, looking up to see Frank simply sitting and drinking his beer. Frank noticed and looked back him, smiling a little before drinking more.

Well, _fuck_ , this was awkward. At least, on Gerard’s part anyway. Frank didn’t know what was going on and let’s face it, it was _always_ awkward on Gerard’s part. This was gonna be a long night.

Luckily, Mikey wasn’t mean and didn’t hint at it at all. Which was surprising really because it was Mikey. That didn’t stop Gerard from looking at Frank differently though. _This_ guy used to have a crush on _Gerard_ eight years ago? That couldn’t be right.

Gerard was beginning to remember some of Mikey’s annoying friends and Frank somehow fit into the spectrum. Although, Gerard hadn’t really thought much of him at the time. He was kind of wishing he had looked into Frank more.

The three of them spent the next hour or so in the booth talking about random shit and drinking and it looked like the subject was going to be forgotten. That was until Mikey made it awkward. Of _course_ Mikey couldn’t go without saying something all night. That was probably why he had dragged Gerard along in the first place. He should have known there was an ulterior motive.

Gerard had lost count by then of how much he had drunk but he was feeling pleasantly buzzed and he knew he would be able to tell how drunk he was when he needed to go to the toilet. For some reason, the trip to the bathroom always made you realise how shitfaced you were.

For some reason, he had ended up on the same side of the booth as Frank after the most recent beer run and when he realised, he didn't really feel like moving. There were quite a few empty bottles on the table and they were planning on adding to it.

"Mikey's round." Frank grinned as he drained the remains of a bottle. He had done well at catching up to Gerard in drinking and they were both reaching the giggly drunk stage.

Mikey rolled his eyes, "Alright but we should probably slow down soon."

Gerard made some scoffed sound and then Frank was laughing at him and he joined in.

"Thanks for hammering home the point, Gee." Mikey couldn't help but smirk at his brother. Mikey had always been better at retaining alcohol whereas Gerard turned into a dependant mess.

Frank just about managed to subside the giggling but then almost fell into Gerard's lap and started up again. And of course, Gerard almost had a heart attack in response, drunk or not. Having _anyone_ near his crotch was enough for Gerard to be on edge. It didn't really help that it was someone as hot as Frank.

"Jesus, Frank, you're not fifteen anymore."

Frank's laughing stopped at Mikey's words and he just stared at him with wide eyes. An uncomfortable ambiance settled in the atmosphere.

Mikey stood up. “What?”

Before Frank could say anything, Gerard found himself speaking, “It’s fine, don’t worry.” The last thing he wanted was for things to get awkward. Although, Mikey apparently didn’t realise that.

“He already knows, Frank.”

“What?” Frank looked from Mikey to Gerard and back again.

Mikey just shrugged before disappearing into the crowd, leaving the mess behind him for the them to sort out. This was going to be _great_.

Frank reluctantly looked at Gerard and smiled nervously. “So Mikey told you then?”

This was what Gerard had been hoping to avoid, God dammit. He tried to smile back, “Yeah, he did.”

Before anything that bad could happen, Frank changed his tune. “You know what? That was years ago and we’re adults now.”

That was debatable, but alright, Gerard thought.

Frank turned in his seat and somehow managed to cross his legs. “When I was fifteen, I had a massive crush on you and yeah, it was embarrassing and I’m surprised you never realised. When you left school and went away for Art school, I’m not gonna to lie, I was a little heartbroken. Seeing you tonight, I felt fifteen again and yeah, I’ve felt kinda nervous all night just talking to you. How stupid is that?”

Well, that was a lot to take in. Gerard couldn’t help but stare at him blankly for a moment before managing to mumble, “That’s weird.”

Frank frowned. “How?”

“Just that um… No one’s ever got nervous around me before.” Okay, Gerard was _definitely_ out of his comfort zone now. He really wanted to turn and run out of the club’s door. Or at least hide in the bathroom.

Frank seemed even more confused and he moved closer to Gerard on the seat. “But you’re like, _amazing_.”

Gerard just opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He was having trouble believing any of this was actually happening and was already blaming Frank’s _delusions_ on the alcohol.

“It’s so strange.” Frank apparently wasn’t waiting for an answer anyway. “I haven’t thought about you for years but as soon as I saw you tonight, it was like no time had passed at all.”

Again, Gerard didn’t know what to say. Two hours ago, he had been lusting after this guy and now he was being told things he couldn’t even comprehend. His head hurt.

“I need more beer.” He randomly muttered and it made Frank smile.

“Sorry for throwing that at you.” Frank seemed to be gettting nervous again, “I’ve had that on my chest for a while now.”

Gerard almost wanted to say that it was okay and that it wasn’t like he hadn’t been drooling after Frank all night. And because he was drunk, he obviously fucking did say that.

“It’s cool, you know? Like, sure it’s weird as fuck but it’s also cool.”

Frank looked almost relieved. “Good. I didn’t want to scare you off.”

“Nah.” Gerard shook his head. “Sure, I’m always scared but you could never scare me off. I mean, you’re fucking hot.”

The funny thing was, Gerard almost didn’t regret it. _Almost_. He still mostly did though.

Frank’s eyebrows raised in interest. “You think I’m hot?”

 _Just_ _laugh_ _and_ _say_ _it_ _was_ _a_ _joke_ , _for_ _the_ _love_ _of_ _God_.

“Don’t act like you don’t already know.” Gerard smirked, and what was he _doing_?

“I didn’t know that.” Frank was full-on grinning by then so at least one positive thing was coming out of that. Shit, why was his smile so nice? Surely, that had to be illegal.

Gerard shook his head, apparently having left his brain behind somewhere near the stage earlier. “I almost fucking died when you played your guitar.”

“Really?” Frank rested his elbow on the table and his face in his hand, looking at Gerard, regarding interest, “Why?”

Did Gerard really have to repeat his words from earlier? “Because you looked so fucking _hot_.” It was the most obvious thing in the world at that moment. Everyone could see it. At least, to Gerard they could.

“Why are you even talking to me?” Seriously, where was Gerard going with this? “You could be fucking whoever you wanted right now.” This was turning a little too PG-13.

Frank laughed lightly and compared to his hysterical giggles from earlier, it sounded almost angelic. What the shit.

“Just go.” Gerard was in an aberrant state and apparently rambling was his best bet at getting out of it. Although, it just seemed to be making him worse. “I’ll tell Mikey you had to go talk to your band dudes or whatever.”

Frank frowned at him but he was still smiling, seemingly finding Gerard hilarious. “Why?”

“Because then you don’t have to talk to me and let’s face it, who would? I’m such a mess right now.” At least Gerard was self-diagnosed; he wasn’t just going along with his inebriated state. It was nice to know he still had _some_ self-perception even if it was minuscule.

He was just about to open his mouth to babble some more when he was stopped by Frank pressing his own mouth onto his. He settled on making some strange noise before kissing Frank back. Was this night even real?

“Uh… Guys?” And of course, Mikey chose that moment to come back to the booth.

For some reason, Gerard still had that embarrassing feeling in the back of his head when it came to Mikey and relationships. He was sure Mikey didn’t want to see him potentially getting off with someone because Gerard sure as hell didn’t want to see _Mikey_ doing that.

Gerard abruptly pulled away from Frank’s soft lips and subsequently, almost fell off the seat. His life was just one big fail, wasn’t it?

Frank giggled at him and Mikey silently sat down, pushing their drinks across the table. “I guess I’m interrupting you guys?” He said quietly and Gerard really didn’t want to look at his expression.

He sat back up properly and immediately grabbed the beer, drinking it quickly and not really giving a shit anymore. His brain was all over the place.

“It’s cool, Mikes.” Frank said and Gerard didn’t look at him either.

“Maybe we should all call it a night?” Mikey suggested and Gerard _had_ to look at him then because where was he going with that?

Mikey’s face was blank as usual but Gerard could tell he was somehow laughing at him. After all, it was Mikey.

He felt Frank’s eyes burning into the side of his face then and shit, what was happening? Who was going home with who? Fuck, why was he even _considering_ that with his brother sat across from him? There was a special place for people like Gerard in Hell.

“What? But it’s not even late.” Frank’s tone made Gerard’s head turn. Frank was already looking at Gerard and he was pretty sure he saw him blush slightly. What the fuck. Just happened. How did _Gerard_ have the power to make hot guys blush? What was that witchcraft?

“It’s half eleven and that’s late enough.” Mikey really sounded like their mom and Gerard almost cringed. “We can all share a cab.”

Frank groaned but seemed to give in, finishing off his last bottle of beer. On the other end was Gerard who was feeling nervous for no reason and almost like he was going to have an anxiety attack. He finished his beer as well, needing the numbing feeling to spread over him quickly. His anxiety was obviously so hardcore that alcohol didn’t help. He could have done with a lot more but he wasn’t about to argue with Mikey and he also wasn’t sure if he was fond of the thought of spending longer with a drunk Frank when he was drunk as well. Not a good idea.

“Come on, Guys.” Mikey had somehow managed to drink his bottle ninja style and stood up.

Gerard had to get up first and as soon as he did, he was really feeling the alcohol. Shit.

Frank was behind him then and he had to grab Gerard’s arm because he almost fell back down again. Nice to know Gerard wasn’t the only one feeling completely fucked.

Mikey rolled his eyes as Frank started giggling at himself and Gerard just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He was trying to remember where the exit was and coming up blank. Luckily, Mikey started leading them through the crowd so Gerard didn’t have to think. He just followed Mikey with Frank still clinging to his arm.

They managed to make it outside and it was suddenly a lot colder compared to inside. Gerard had to remind himself that most of that heat had been from the sweaty strangers and then he didn’t really mind being cold. After all, he still somehow had his leather jacket on.

The same couldn’t be said for Frank though. He was instantly shaking and it was no surprise really because he was only wearing a t-shirt. What an idiot.

Gerard apparently turned into a gentleman because he slipped his arm out of Frank’s grip and took off his jacket. The wind instantly hit his arms and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. “Here.” He draped the jacket over Frank’s shoulders.

Frank just frowned at him in confusion. “What?”

“You’re cold.” Gerard left it at that, not really seeing the point of explaining his motive behind the gesture. It was pretty self-explanatory.

Mikey had meanwhile called a cab company and was hanging up when Gerard had said that. He raised an eyebrow at the pair but didn’t fixate on it. Instead, he said, “Cab’ll be here soon. I’ll pay now but you guys owe me.”

“Thanks, Mikes.” Gerard tried not to start shivering himself. Damn September night weather.

They waited in silence on the sidewalk for about ten minutes for the cab. None of them could really think of anything to say and that was probably for the best. This night had been a rollercoaster from start to finish.

Frank somehow managed to hold onto Gerard’s arm again and Gerard pretended not to notice but the truth was, he couldn’t do anything _but_ focus on it. His jacket’s sleeves were too long for Frank’s arms so his hands were hidden and it looked cute as fuck. How could someone be simultaneously hot and cute at the same time? Surely that was the work of the Gods.

Frank was holding onto Gerard’s arm with both hands, as if he was cuddling into him. Gerard tried to tell himself that it was the alcohol but his head wouldn’t hear it. It kept reminding him that _Frank_ _had_ _a_ _crush_ _on_ _him_ and _Frank_ _fucking_ _kissed_ _him_. Gerard’s brain never fucking shut up.

The cab arrived and Gerard almost blew a kiss up to the Gods because it was honestly so fucking cold and having Frank cling onto him like that was too much to handle. Unluckily, Mikey got into the front seat so that meant that Frank and Gerard had the back to themselves. It wasn’t like anything was going to happen in the back of a cab but it might mean more cuddling. That obviously wasn’t a bad thing but if that happened, Gerard could tell he was going to get very invested very quickly.

Of course, the only time Gerard was right was when he didn’t want to be and this was no exception. As soon as they were sat in the back of the cab, Frank rested his head on Gerard’s shoulder. It wasn’t exactly cuddling but it was still contact and Gerard had to resist a lot of urges.

After about thirty seconds, he gave into himself and watched his hand reach for Frank’s. He was surprised that he didn’t freak out internally but maybe it was because Frank laced his fingers through his without a second thought and that was enough to relax Gerard.

He didn’t want to think about what little time he had left with Frank so he just made the most of the moment; Frank’s head on his shoulder and his warm hand in his.

All good things had to come to an end though and soon, the cab stopped outside Frank’s apartment. He reluctantly sat up properly and smiled a sad smile at Gerard. “We should meet up again.”

Gerard smiled back, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Meter’s running, Kid.” Mikey said from the front.

Frank rolled his eyes and then surprised Gerard by leaning in and kissing him once before letting go of his hand and getting out of the cab. Before Gerard could make the decision to follow him, the cab was off again. He turned to look through the back window but it was too dark to see anything. Shit.

Gerard spent the rest of the drive looking down at his hands and wishing Frank’s hand was there still. If he was impulsive, he would have followed Frank into his apartment but maybe ending the night like this was better. If there was a chance he could get a relationship out of this, he would take that over a one night stand anytime.

When they stopped at Gerard’s apartment ten minutes later, Mikey turned to look at him. “I’ll call you tomorrow to see how bad your head is.” Mikey cared.

“Thanks, Mikes.” Gerard started moving down the seat to the door.

“And I’m sure you’ll want Frank’s number so I’ll give you that as well.”

Gerard opened the door and then looked at Mikey, a slight blush on his cheeks. “What makes you think I’d want that?” Was there any point in feigning innocence anymore?

“Well he has your jacket.” Mikey pointed out.

Oh. Shit. Yeah. “Right.” Gerard bit his lip. To be honest, that was a good excuse actually.

Mikey apparently thought that was what Gerard’s intention had been all along because he was smirking and rolling his eyes. “Night, Gee.”

“Night.” Gerard got out of the cab before he could be embarrassed any more. His face was already most of the way to bright red and when he remembered the cabbie had heard all of that, he almost keeled over on the sidewalk. Instead, he walked up the path to his building _while_ _trying_ _not_ _to_ _fall_ _over_ and went inside, trying not to think about everything that had happened in the space of only a few hours.

It took him three attempts to unlock the front door to his apartment and when he was finally inside, he went straight into his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to take off his jeans. He did kick off his shoes though because come on, he wasn’t an animal.

After lying in the dark for however long, he sat back up again and just stared at nothing. He wondered what Frank was doing and if he was asleep yet. It was probably a good thing he didn’t have his number yet because he would be a huge distraction when Frank needed to sleep. Speaking of sleep, Gerard needed to get some. Sitting on his bed, thinking about Frank wasn’t going to help.

Drunk or not, Gerard knew how to look after himself and he got up to get himself a glass of water and some aspirin ready for the morning and placed them on his nightstand. He then shimmied out of his jeans, unbuttoned his shirt, took his socks off and climbed into bed properly. He couldn’t be bothered to find any pyjamas so sleeping in just his boxers was fine.

Gerard lay in the dark, cuddling his sheet and slightly wishing it was Frank, and willed himself to go to sleep. Although, he couldn’t switch off his mind and he thought about the gig and the time after and the kiss in the booth and the kiss and hand-holding in the cab.

Frank was everything he had been looking for. He was a musician and he was a really nice guy. That literally ticked all of Gerard’s boxes. Maybe he’d finally found his musician. Maybe he could finally be happy.

He tried not to overthink and invest too quickly but he had a really good feeling about Frank.


End file.
